John Mayall, a musical luminary whose pioneering work in the rhythm and blues genre garnered him the moniker “The Godfather of British Blues,” has died at the age of 90.
According to a statement published on Mr. Mayall’s official website, the legendary guitarist passed away peacefully on July 22 at his home in California while surrounded by close relatives.
“Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world’s greatest road warriors,” his family shared. “John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain.”
Mr. Mayall’s family wrote that the musician’s “raw honesty, connection, community and playing of his will continue to affect the music and culture we experience today, and for generations to come.”
“Keep on playing the blues somewhere, John,” the statement continues. “We love you.”
Remembering John Mayall
Mr. Mayall was born on Nov. 29, 1933, in Macclesfield, England, located about 16 miles south of Manchester, per his online biography.
Mr. Mayall dabbled in music in his teens, drawing inspiration from influential blues guitarists such as Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy, and Lead Belly and pianists of the boogie-woogie genre, including Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis. When he was 14, he enrolled at Manchester’s Junior School of Art, where he studied the piano. Later, he honed his guitar skills and picked up the harmonica.
After serving three years as an office clerk with the British Army’s Royal Engineers, Mr. Mayall embarked on a career as a graphic designer. However, he decided to quit his job to pursue his passion for music, moving to London at the age of 30 to found the Bluesbreakers, a blues rock band best known for its hit “Room To Move” from the group’s 1969 live album “The Turning Point.”
Over the years, the band featured an array of now-renowned artists, including Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green, and guitarist Mick Taylor, who later played for the Rolling Stones, among many others.
Mr. Mayall spoke about his penchant for recruiting some of the biggest British blues artists during a December 2014 interview with The Guardian.
“If you go into blues history, you find bands formed around the bandleaders, trying to realise the sound they wanted. They put the band together to enact what they had in mind. The main man chose the musicians to create a specific sound—I had certain ideas and I needed to go out and find the right people to realise them,” he said.
“I was a bandleader in that traditional role, as well as a frontman. I used my ears to pick out what I thought would work, and I suppose that in the long term the careers of the people involved show that I managed to pick out some pretty special people.”
After relocating to Los Angeles in 1969, Mr. Mayall released numerous albums, including “USA Union” (1970), “Back to the Roots” (1971), and “Jazz Blues Fusion” (1972). Recent albums include 2017’s “Talk About That” and 2019’s “Nobody Told Me.”
The two-time Grammy Award-nominated musician released his final studio album, “The Sun Is Shining Down,” in January 2022. Two months later, he took the stage of The Coach House, a concert hall in San Juan Capistrano, California, to give his final performance, officially closing out his 60-year touring run.
Mr. Mayall–who was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005—was named among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2024 inductees.
Mr. Mayall was honored in the “Musical Influence Award” category—a distinction given to “artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting youth culture,” per the foundation’s website.
Upon hearing news of Mr. Mayall’s passing, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame took to Instagram to express its condolences.
“As a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader, Mayall displayed a talent for mentoring gifted young musicians, many of whom he recruited for his groundbreaking band the Bluesbreakers,” the foundation shared on July 23.
“With a rugged individuality and distinctive voice and style, he made visionary recordings that expanded the reach of the blues without ever watering them down,” the foundation added. “@johnmayallofficial had a massive impact on rock & roll, inspiring countless musicians and fans with a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable and influential music.”
Mr. Mayall is survived by six children, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and a sister, Caroline. Per his family’s statement, the musician was also “surrounded with love by his previous wives, Pamela and Maggie, his devoted secretary, Jane, and his close friends.”
“We, the Mayall family, cannot thank his fans and long-list of bandmembers enough for the support and love we were blessed to experience secondhand over the last six decades.”